Back-to-School & The Writing Center Deep Dive
Summer’s Over—Back to the Classroom!
- After nine glorious weeks of summer break, we (Joe & Quyen) are back in the classroom and gearing up for the new school year.
- Teaching means starting fresh every year: new students, new personalities, and new chances to do things better.
The Challenge: Writing Feedback Overload
- Last year, we tried "mystery writing" and were excited to see students writing more than ever.
- But with 32 students, grading and giving real feedback on every piece is daunting (32 x 5 minutes = almost 3 hours!).
- We needed a way to give each student regular, meaningful guidance—without sacrificing our sanity.
Enter: Instructron’s Writing Center
- With a “tech wish” to Khoa, a writing center was born!
- It’s fast and flexible: assign creative/narrative/informative/etc. prompts by grade level or genre, then let students draft and revise right in the platform.
- Students can use our built-in AI coach, "Tronnie," who gives instant, focused feedback on things like grammar, conventions, or whatever skills you choose to target that day.
- Students see their feedback as actionable checklists, making revision easy and motivating - they watch their writing improve step by step.
Teacher Control & Flexibility
- Teachers can always step in - students can send work to you for feedback instead of AI (useful if families want to opt out of AI).
- The dashboard shows which students need review and tracks drafts, feedback, and revisions - all in one place.
- Perfect for daily “quick writes” with feedback, so growth happens little by little, every day.
Real Teacher Input = Real Improvements
- The Writing Center feature grew out of feedback from actual classroom use. If you have ideas or needs, share them! We truly build based on requests from teachers like you.
Get Involved!
- Not on Instructron yet? Try it free for 14 days.
- Use code TOPFLOOR20 for 20% off your first year.
- Feedback or feature requests? DM us (@teaminstructron on Instagram), email [email protected], or use the new in-app chat feature!
What’s Next?
Next episode: We’ll share what it’s really like surviving the first days of back-to-school, and how Instructron fits into daily teaching.
Thank you for following our journey - see you soon for Episode 3!